Only continued climate organizing and direct action can save us and the planet

On November 1st, I was on SEPTA, a place where you can catch snippets of what your neighbors are talking about on any given day. The person sitting behind me was on the phone. They said, “You know, it’s going to be very warm today. I don’t understand what’s going on. It will be 80 degrees.” The day before had been an unusually warm Halloween. Even on election day it was too warm to be comfortable. This was also the case the day after, when many of us found out the results.

In our region, the beginning of fall was a time of unusually warm weather. It was also the longest stretch without measurable precipitation in history.

Last month I felt so much sadness.

It wasn’t just about the temperature. Things like walking around outside in November in just a t-shirt or not being able to go camping on the weekend because it’s too dry to have a campfire remind us of something much bigger: what we’re on the right track have to do with our planet – and ourselves. So many people’s lives are at stake due to climate change, and I feel an obligation to them and to all of us to do what I can to save lives. We all deserve to live and thrive, no matter where we are or how much money we make.

The weather has returned to normal in recent weeks, but the threats of climate change continue to loom. Asheville, North Carolina may finally have drinking water available again seven weeks after Hurricane Helene, but the devastation of this hurricane season has shown us that there are no climate paradises.

READ: During storms like Hurricane Helene, flooded industrial sites and the release of toxic chemicals are a silent and growing threat

Given what it means for the new federal government to be hell-bent on pushing us toward the tipping point of climate catastrophe – with such disregard for the communities that will be most affected – I feel devastated . And there are so many other issues at stake here that are on my heart, with terrible implications that I am aware of and other deeply uncertain implications that I fear.

At the same time, over the past month I have felt comfort, hope and trust as I looked around my local activist communities, drawing on our shared values ​​and principles and remembering what we have achieved together. I know that we are surrounded by a wealth of social movement wisdom, that we can choose to continue learning from everything we do, and that we have the great capacity to become more and more empowered.

A recent example of this that I experienced was on November 20th at the offices of Vanguard, the global investment company, in Chester County. Vanguard is the world’s largest investor in fossil fuels and also one of the worst at using its power to push its portfolio companies toward better emissions and environmental justice outcomes. For over three years, the Earth Quaker Action Team has been part of the Vanguard SOS campaign, an international initiative that calls on Vanguard to invest in a livable future. With $444 billion invested in fossil fuels, Vanguard could help shape our transition to a fairer and more sustainable economy if it uses its power and influence responsibly.

So two weeks ago, about 30 people in superhero capes and masks walked to the entrance to Vanguard headquarters. We remembered that we are heroes when we act together. And we also invited Vanguard CEO Salim Ramji to be a hero and take meaningful action on climate change.

This protest was just one of dozens of protests at Vanguard over the course of the Vanguard SOS campaign – locally and also at Vanguard offices in North Carolina, Arizona, England and other countries. This time it served to show Vanguard that the Vanguard SOS campaign is still successful. It also served to show us our own power and agency in the face of the most important issues of our time.

At the beginning of the campaign, we took time to ground and build a community with a mourning ritual and guided meditation. In doing so, we remembered our interdependence – how we need each other and how we can do things together that none of us could do alone.

READ: How protests that double as training are growing this fossil fuel divestment campaign

Corporate campaigns will play a crucial role in the activities of our social movements in the coming years. In Vanguard’s case, the asset manager can no longer hide behind the argument that it is just waiting to hear from politicians or regulators what it needs to do, and that the government is the only institution dealing with climate change. We no longer have time to wait for others to solve climate change for us – and that’s even more true for the world’s largest investor in fossil fuels.

In the new year, the Earth Quaker Action Team will provide training to prepare us and our allies in the movement for the work ahead. Subscribing to our newsletter is the best way to get involved. National partners of the Vanguard SOS campaign, such as Stop the Money Pipeline, are offering additional opportunities to come together and call on Vanguard to do better, such as signing a petition to Vanguard CEO Ramji.

There are many ways we will take effective collective action next year. I look forward to driving the Vanguard SOS campaign because no matter who is in office, companies like Vanguard must change course and do better.